Wagner: The Ring of the Nibelung

Written by Stephen Johnson

Narrated by Stephen Johnson

Wagner’s "Ring" cycle is the most ambitious work in the history of music: four operas that combine to tell a single epic story.

Based in legend, it has become a legend in its own right: a supreme challenge for conductors, singers, opera producers, and indeed for audiences. But for all its grandeur and complexity, The Ring is far more accessible than many music lovers think.

This audio-book explains the basics of the plot, profiles the leading characters, and shows how Wagner’s revolutionary music adds fascinating layers of meaning and psychological insight, as well as providing some of the most stirring and intoxicating moments in the entire operatic repertoire.

©2007 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2007 Naxos AudioBooks

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Oct 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9781843793335

Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnson has taken part in several hundred radio programmes and documentaries, including Radio 3's weekly Discovering Music series. He is also presented on the Classic Arts Podcast series Archive Classics. He has contributed as guest interviewee on BBC 4 coverage of The Proms, ITV's The Southbank Show and more recently, on BBC1's The One Show. Stephen Johnson is the author of several books, including The Eight: Mahler and the World in 1910 (Faber) and How Shostakovich Changed My Mind (NHE).